Overdrive

Posted bySchnarkPosted inOther thingsTags:, , , ,

I remember my 1970s MGB

In British Racing Green,

But with rubber bumpers,

No chrome in sight.

And I never had a car with wire wheels –

Have you ever tried fixing a puncture on a wire wheel?

Brown and orange cloth interior,

And in place of those modern pings and squeaks

I had two little red illuminated messages

“Fasten Seatbelt”

It was always a welcome invitation,

Not a nagging big sister.

And the four speed box with “overdrive”

What was that all about?

I still don’t know.

I know what I was told…

But it made no sense.

Now I’m thinking of “Verbal Overdrive”

As I become too regular on the blog.

Screaming into the void.

And no one responds.

They say I’m too strange –

It seems quite normal to me.

And when I think I’m being normal,

I’m probably my most strange.

I don’t know which way to go.

But car talk,

Bike talk,

Talk of mechanical, inanimate, unnecessary uninteresting things?

I had wire wheels on Thunderhonda I, and Thunderhonda III

But they were never polished,

And I only had one puncture

A Saturday morning;

The breakdown man would have fixed a tubeless tyre,

Could do nothing for me.

A day spoiled.

Thunderhonda IV a thoroughly more sensible machine,

Older, simpler, bigger, robuster, tubeless.

London – Hamburg, and back, day and night, rain and shine….

Bit of squirt on the chain…

No problem.

Grab your helmet,

Jump on!

Where to? Your call.

Published by Schnark

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12 thoughts on “Overdrive”

      1. Ah, overdrive was a very high top gear. I recall some cars engaged it with a slide-switch on the top of the gear knob. Good for open roads and motorways, you revved the car until the rivets shook (gears 1-4), then engaged overdrive at say 70, and it cruised with more modest revs and a sedate tone – or at least without the need for ear defenders.

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      3. I think the older overdrives were a separate unit from the main gearbox. More modern cars had them built into the gearbox as a fifth or sixth – which does the same job but by a different name.

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      4. Thanks (:
        I’ll scratch my head, and say I think I understand.

        I guess the motorways took older engines and gearboxes by surprise, and no one would have expected them to be crossing long distances at 70.

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      7. “Always,
        something guides us back into the petty vexations of the material
        world, do you see? It’s like a voracious creature dwelling inside
        of us…… All right, the point of Brahman is….” And then “Winona’s
        hand reaches across and rests lightly on the back of mine”

        Excerpts From
        A Lone Tree Falls
        Michael Graeme

        It’s great, you were building a great spy story, but this is better, and then the “hook”, physical contact, it’s electric, innocent, but…. Is it just my perverted mind? I think not…. Or are we all perverted? Or does it matter?
        Anyway,
        I’m enjoying it.
        Looking forward to the next 500 pages, it’s going to take a while!

        Liked by 1 person

    1. I think so,
      Nothing for a week or so, but you mustn’t feel you need to respond to everything I have to say.
      I suspect you’re not going to explain to me the finer workings of the British Leland gearing system!
      Hope you’re both well, and survived the heat ok.
      S.

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    2. P.s,
      Today was a better day.
      I managed to turn my phone off last night! And kept it off most of today.
      I made a start tidying the flat this morning, and got home from the allotment in time to cook myself some supper.
      (:

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